In the Xiling Military Camp
The atmosphere in the main tent was heavy and ominous, with the Zhennan Prince wearing his worst expression since Xiling began its campaign. Since Mo Xiuyao’s sudden appearance and capture of Xinyang, the entire Da Chu army seemed to have suddenly come alive. In just ten short days, nearly half of their month’s worth of military achievements had been lost. It wasn’t just the northern army being routed by Mo Xiuyao’s surprise attack – the southern army was also suffering repeated setbacks. Only the central army under the Zhennan Prince’s direct command remained stable, but recapturing Xinyang from Mo Xiuyao’s hands would be extremely difficult. What’s worse, they had lost fifty thousand dan of grain and several million taels of silver to the Dingguo Prince’s Consort, which would make the already inadequate supplies of the Xiling army even more precarious as winter approached.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger!” the generals pleaded somewhat tremulously.
The Zhennan Prince coldly snorted, “Calm down, calm down! Can’t you say anything else besides telling me to calm down?”
Knowing the Prince was in a rage, none of the generals dared speak further, only casting pleading glances toward Lei Tengfeng who sat to the side. Lei Tengfeng smiled faintly and stood up to address the Zhennan Prince: “Father, we all know Mo Xiuyao isn’t easy to deal with. Don’t be too hard on them – they’ve done their best.”
The Zhennan Prince gave a light snort and swept a cold gaze over everyone, saying, “Get out of here. If you let Mo’s army throw you into chaos again tomorrow, you might as well take off your armor and become common soldiers!” Everyone repeatedly agreed, casting grateful looks at Lei Tengfeng before slinking out of the tent.
With only the father and son remaining in the tent, Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, “Father, we can’t be hasty in dealing with Mo Xiuyao. Although we’ve suffered some setbacks these past days, we’re not at a disadvantage in the current situation.”
The Zhennan Prince sighed lightly and said seriously, “How could I not know this? But… Tengfeng, don’t underestimate Mo Xiuyao. In my view, Mo Xiuyao is more dangerous than Mo Liufang!”
Lei Tengfeng raised his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting his father to have such high regard for Mo Xiuyao, whom he’d only met a few times. It must be noted that Mo Liufang was Mo Xiuyao’s father and his father’s greatest – one might say only – lifelong rival. Indeed… had the student surpassed the master?
“If Mo Xiuyao had lived peacefully all these years, I might not have taken him so seriously. But you know what kind of life he’s had these years, what kind of injuries he suffered back then. Yet look at how Mo’s army has performed these past days – Mo Xiuyao shows no signs of being rusty at all and is even more skilled in warfare than the legends say. This shows that even though Mo Xiuyao spent seven or eight years confined to the Dingguo Prince’s Manor with his injuries, he still maintained complete control over Mo’s army, and they remained loyal to him. This point… Tengfeng, could you achieve this?”
Lei Tengfeng frowned slightly in thought before raising his head with a serious expression. Though his smile showed some shame and unwillingness, he still shook his head and said, “Your son is incompetent and could not achieve this.” No one knew better than him how severe Mo Xiuyao’s injuries had been back then. He questioned whether he could have maintained such perfect control over Mo’s army in that situation. He might have been crushed by such pain and torment, becoming decadent, or consumed by hatred and driven mad.
The Zhennan Prince nodded, saying with some satisfaction, “Being able to see one’s shortcomings is a good thing. Mo Liufang had a good son, and now a good daughter-in-law too… such good fortune.”
Lei Tengfeng recalled that snow-white-robed woman who had spoken and laughed so naturally during the hostage exchange, and had to admit Mo Xiuyao was indeed lucky. Having such a woman as a wife – how many heroes across the land must envy Mo Xiuyao to death?
“What are Father’s plans?” Lei Tengfeng asked.
The Zhennan Prince raised an eyebrow, “What do you think your father’s plans are?” Lei Tengfeng smiled, “Though Father appeared very angry just now, you weren’t truly enraged. This suggests Father already has a solution in mind.” If his father had truly been angry, not even his pleading would have helped – probably not even the Emperor himself could have helped.
The Zhennan Prince casually played with the jade ring on his hand and smiled coldly, “Back then, Mo Xiuyao was lucky, and the Dingguo Prince’s Manor was fated not to fall. This time… I want to see if he’s still so lucky!”
Lei Tengfeng’s heart stirred and his expression changed slightly as he asked, “Father, you plan to…”
The Zhennan Prince smiled leisurely, “The Dingguo Prince’s Manor hasn’t just offended me alone.”
“Your Highness speaks truly – the Dingguo Prince’s Manor has indeed offended many people. There are quite a few in this world who wish to see it disappear,” a coquettish voice came from outside the tent. Hearing this, Lei Tengfeng frowned, a look of disgust flashing across his face. The Zhennan Prince saw this and shook his head with some amusement.
The tent curtain was lifted from outside and a slender, graceful figure entered. Coming around the screen painted with roaring tigers and forests, the woman who appeared in the tent wore pink palace robes. Her willow brows were naturally dark without powder, her cherry lips naturally red without rouge, and her features so exquisite and flawless that not a single flaw could be found. As her bright eyes turned, they sparked with starlight that made people unwittingly lose themselves in them. Even though Lei Tengfeng seemed to greatly despise her, when her gaze fell upon him, he still couldn’t help being dazed for a moment. Seeing Lei Tengfeng’s momentary trance, the woman’s lips curled slightly in a smile as she gracefully stepped forward and curtsied, “Greetings to Your Highness and the Young Master.”
The Zhennan Prince looked at her flatly and asked, “Why have you come? Does the Emperor not need attendance?”
The woman turned her enchanting eyes and smiled, “Your Highness jests. His Majesty is now bedridden with serious illness – with the Empress there, what need is there for my service? Could it be… Your Highness doesn’t wish to see me?”
The Zhennan Prince smiled, “How could that be? You’ve come at just the right time – I have something I need your help with.”
The woman’s smile grew even more delighted, and as she smiled, the previously solemn tent seemed to gain several degrees of color. “Whatever Your Highness commands, Rong’er will certainly do her utmost to accomplish.” This woman was none other than Xiling’s Noble Consort Qingrong, Bai Rong – who had once been Da Chu’s foremost beauty, Su Zuidie.
Lei Tengfeng’s daze lasted only an instant – as soon as she spoke, he had already recovered his senses. He remained silent, listening to their conversation. His gaze toward Su Zuidie remained full of disgust and disdain, as though looking at something filthy, yet in the depths of his eyes there seemed to be something deeper struggling. The Zhennan Prince had been watching his son’s expressions from the start of the conversation, and seeing this, he sighed slightly in his heart. Tengfeng was indeed the most outstanding of all his children, even among the Xiling royal clan, but compared to Mo Xiuyao, he was still lacking that little bit.
“What are Your Highness’s instructions?” Su Zuidie smiled.
The Zhennan Prince looked at her with an ambiguous smile and said, “Rong’er rushed here so hurriedly – presumably you already knew Mo Xiuyao was in Xinyang?” Su Zuidie paused slightly, something flashing quickly through her eyes, but it was soon covered by her charming smile. She shot a gentle glance at the Zhennan Prince and said, “Rong’er did indeed know Mo Xiuyao was in Xinyang, but I was already on my way when I found out. Could it not be that I came because I missed Your Highness? Your Highness truly doesn’t wish to see Rong’er.”
The Zhennan Prince leisurely admired the incomparable beauty’s coquettish expression before him, smiled faintly, and pulled her into his embrace, laughing loudly, “How could I not miss Rong’er?”
“Your Highness…” the beauty called out coyly, clinging to the Zhennan Prince like a boneless creature.
Lei Tengfeng watched the scene before him with an ugly expression, finally unable to hold back as he said coldly, “Father if there’s nothing else, your son will take his leave first.”
The Zhennan Prince released Su Zuidie and looked at Lei Tengfeng, shaking his head, “You children are good in every way, except you take everything too seriously.” Lei Tengfeng’s usual smile had completely vanished as he glanced at Su Zuidie and said, “Your son does not need to take seriously a whore who would sleep with any man – I merely find her disgusting to look at.”
“You! Lei Tengfeng, you go too far!” Su Zuidie’s face alternated between red and white with anger as she turned to the Zhennan Prince with reddened eyes, saying petulantly, “Your Highness, look how the Young Master speaks to me. I… Rong’er can’t bear to live with such shame!”
“Enough, you two stop quarreling as soon as you meet,” the Zhennan Prince said with a frown, the smile disappearing from his face. Su Zuidie gave a light snort and shot Lei Tengfeng a glance but for some reason held back. Lei Tengfeng said, “If there’s nothing else, your son will leave first.”
The Zhennan Prince shook his head and said, “Fine, let’s discuss business. Rong’er, what are your plans regarding Mo Xiuyao?”
Su Zuidie’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly raised her head again with a coquettish smile, “Does Your Highness want Rong’er to go back to him?”
The Zhennan Prince smiled, “Go back to him? Do you think he would accept you now? Everyone knows the Dingguo Prince is deeply devoted to his Princess Consort.”
A flash of hatred passed through Su Zuidie’s eyes, but she raised her head still with seductive eyes, saying softly, “Does Your Highness not trust me? Rong’er grew up with the Prince since childhood. How could I be inferior to that Ye Li, a nobody of a young lady? What does Ye Li have besides a decent family background? No, she doesn’t even have that – she just has a good grandfather. Unfortunately, Master Qingyun has not involved himself in worldly affairs for many years. I was the Prince’s rightful fiancée, Da Chu’s… the world’s greatest beauty. How could I not match up to a woman with neither talent nor beauty?”
Lei Tengfeng gave a contemptuous snort, very clearly expressing his opinion.
Su Zuidie glared at him angrily, and the Zhennan Prince smiled, “How could that be? I believe Rong’er is the world’s unparalleled beauty. How could Mo Xiuyao not fall at Rong’er’s feet?”
Su Zuidie smiled somewhat proudly at Lei Tengfeng, “What would Your Highness have me do?”
The Zhennan Prince smiled without speaking.
“Father, will Mo Xiuyao take the bait?” After Su Zuidie left the tent, Lei Tengfeng asked with furrowed brows.
The Zhennan Prince looked at him and asked, “Do you think I would be infatuated with her?” Lei Tengfeng shook his head – he could naturally see that though his father had some involvement with Su Zuidie, he had never developed any true feelings. The Zhennan Prince smiled, “If I won’t fall for it, how could Mo Xiuyao?”
“Then Father, isn’t sending her to seduce Mo Xiuyao too frivolous?” If that woman could seduce Mo Xiuyao, how could she have ended up in Xiling?
The Zhennan Prince smiled, “Who said I wanted her to seduce Mo Xiuyao? With a treasure like the Dingguo Princess Consort, Bai Rong is nothing but a pretty vase, useless beyond her looks.”
Lei Tengfeng frowned slightly, but quickly smoothed his brow and looked up at the Zhennan Prince, “Father has other plans.”
“She’s merely meant to help me divert Mo Xiuyao’s attention somewhat. If she can’t even do that much, she’ll have no more use.” The Zhennan Prince smiled coldly, his voice cruel and heartless, showing not a trace of the tender doting from moments ago.